This invention relates to a surgical appliance and more particularly to an implantable artificial sphincter which is permanently implanted within the patient after removal of the rectum in a nearly normal anatomical position eliminating the need for bulky external appliances and eliminating the worries of odor and soilage normally encountered in ileostomies or colostomies wherein an artificial rectal opening is constructed in the abdominal area of the patient.
Surgical removal of the rectum is currently utilized due to malignant or other infections of the colon or intestinal tract. The operation is generally referred to as an ileostomy or colostomy and a stoma or artificial rectal opening is constructed in the abdominal area of the patient and results in the necessity for providing some type of mechanism to catch and contain the flow of intestinal contents, which is usually continuous. In most cases, this is accomplished by everting a portion of remaining healthy bowel into an opening in the abdominal wall and arranging a tight-fitting seal around the stoma bud (everted bowel) so as to prohibit the deleterious effect of bowel contents on the surrounding skin. In addition, a removable container, usually in the shape of a pliable plastic bag, is attached to the seal around the stoma as an intermittently disposable reservoir.
There has been very little success in adapting this surgical procedure to use in the normal anatomical position between the gluteal crease, or at the position of the surgically removed sphincter because of the irregular shape of the tissue in this area, and also because of the demands of change in body position, such as sitting, etc., which act as a deterrent to accomplishing the adoption of a water-tight seal at the normal rectal area.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide an implantable artificial sphincter which is anatomically positioned at a normal or near normal position in the rectal canal and which provides a leak-proof seal and dispenses with any requirement for external plastic bags or reservoirs or external appliances, thereby eliminating the worries of odor and soilage and the undesirable appearance of an artificial rectal opening in an unnatural position on the body.